If you've ever found yourself wondering 'why am I always tired?', know that you're not alone. It seems everybody is tired — and that’s just part of being a grownup. But even though it’s easy to dismiss your tiredness as just “one of those things”, there comes a point when it’s not. When you're feeling tired all the time it might mean that your body is trying to tell you something.
While exhaustion doesn't necessarily point to an underlying health condition, it is worth checking in with your doctor if fatigue is getting in the way of living life the way you'd like to. Here, the experts reveal all the potential causes for your tiredness.
It's so simple.
1. You’re not getting enough shut eye
This is probably the most obvious (and most common) reason for why we feel exhausted. As per NHS guidelines, most adults need 7 hours or more of good quality sleep. But according to Mental Health UK, 1 in 5 brits aren’t getting enough.
The solution? It’s simple: get more sleep. But of course, this is easier said than done. First, it’s important to identify the cause – be it stress, too much screen time or poor sleep hygiene – and then you can address it. If you’ve tried everything under the sun and still have trouble sleeping, speak to an expert.
2. You're lacking in energy
Different to feeling tired or sleepy, “fatigue is when you’re seriously lacking energy,” says William Christopher Winter, American sleep researcher and neurologist. “Normal” fatigue gets better when you rest (think: your arm gets fatigued after you do a bunch of bicep curls, but feels better 10 minutes later).
In most cases, fatigue is your body telling you to slow down, and you should probably listen to it. But when fatigue regularly keeps you from doing the things you want to do, it’s a problem, says Dr Winter. “That doesn’t mean ‘I can’t run 38 miles because I get fatigued,’ it’s more like ‘I have trouble getting up and down stairs,’ or ‘a walk from the parking lot to my office exhausts me,’” he says.
The solution? Get some rest. Take yourself away from your screens, away from any distractions – and simply rest up. If you don’t feel re-energised after resting, it's worth checking in with a doctor to see if there’s an underlying issue.
3. You have an underlying health condition
When Dr Winter sees patients who say they’re tired, he often tries to distinguish whether they’re sleepy or fatigued. “Sleepiness is pretty easy — it’s a defined group of problems,” he says. “But if they’re talking about fatigue, you could make a list a mile long of what could be causing it.” That list includes a deficiency in vitamins B12 or D, multiple sclerosis, type 2 diabetes, and Parkinson’s disease, to name a few.
Other conditions that are associated with fatigue include anaemia, a thyroid issue, or even leukaemia — all of which can make people feel incredibly rundown, says Dr Yvonne Bohn, M.D., an ob/gyn at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica.
The solution? If feeling exhausted comes out of nowhere or doesn't get better with rest, that's when you should see a doctor. Whether it's an undiagnosed condition or the result of lifestyle factors that could use some tweaking, they may be able to help.
4. You're seriously stressed
Sure, many health conditions can lead to fatigue, but so can being super overwhelmed for months or going through a big life change that screws with your sleep and stress levels. “Under stress, we tend to produce more of the hormone cortisol. Cortisol is very useful for fuelling action, but before bed, it increases our levels of arousal, at a time when we need to relax,” says Dr Sophie Bostock, Bensons for Beds’ resident sleep expert.
Stress can therefore lead to a state of hyperarousal, where your brain and body are more alert than normal. “It takes us longer to fall asleep, and because sleep is lighter, we’re more likely to be woken by noise, movement or changes in temperature,” continues Dr Bostock.
It's also worth noting that stress can cause us to change behaviour in ways that are unhelpful for sleep, such as doing less exercise, relying on alcohol to relax, working late or taking long naps to recover.
The solution? “Sometimes it’s possible to tackle stress by resolving the source of stress - for example, speaking to your manager about managing your workload,” says Dr Bostock. In other cases, it’s not always possible to avoid the source of stress. “What you can do though, is to learn tools to switch off the cortisol tap,” she assures, like box breathing, sleep journaling or yoga.
5. Your sleep environment isn’t great
According to sleep experts at Bed Kingdom, a comfortable sleep environment is crucial for quality sleep. So, if you’re having trouble falling or staying asleep, it may be because your sleeping conditions are sub-optimal. A tidy bedroom that’s not too bright or too noisy is key – and so is a comfortable bed.
The solution? Consider a new mattress if your bed is uncomfortable. Or, if it’s light and noise that’s affecting you, try an eye mask or earplugs to block out the outside world. Another top tip? Try having a colder room (leave the window open or get a fan) as this can aid the natural drop in body temperature that occurs when we fall asleep.
The sleepiness is real.
6. You’re depressed
“My patients definitely talk about being tired,” Dr Bohn says. When she hears that, she starts asking questions to try to figure out what might be behind it. If there doesn’t seem to be lifestyle factors behind it (like caring for a new baby or training for a marathon), she’ll typically do a blood workup to try to figure out what’s going on. Mental health conditions, including depression, can also make people feel fatigued. But as Dr Bohn points out, they can’t be detected with a blood test.
Symptoms of depression can be very different from person to person. But, as a general rule (according to the NHS), if you are depressed you tend to feel hopeless, sad and lacking interest in things that used to make you feel happy. It’s worth noting that there are several physical symptoms too, including loss of energy and disturbed sleep.
The solution? Depression can be treated with talking therapies and/or medication. If you think the reason you're wondering ‘why am I so tired?’ is due to depression, speak to your GP who can get you the support and help that you need.
7. Your hormones are imbalanced
Tiredness can also be driven by our hormones, particularly when we are menopausal, perimenopausal, or even premenstrual, says GP and functional medicine & hormone doctor, Dr Sohere Roked. “Getting sufficient sleep is essential for regulating a range of hormones, such as cortisol, oestrogen and progesterone, hunger hormones (like insulin, leptin, and ghrelin), melatonin, thyroid hormones and growth hormones,” she says. “The hormone melatonin is an important contributor to many biological and physiological regulations in the body, including our circadian rhythm. Poor sleep can have an impact on melatonin and its function for promoting sleep in the brain.”
Progesterone – the hormone we make that helps with sleep – is low before our period, can fluctuate in perimenopause and is often low in menopause, Dr Roked explains. “Individuals on HRT taking bio or body identical progesterone often find it improves their sleep,” she adds.
The solution? “Take a bio or body identical progesterone at night for improved sleep,” says Dr Roked. “Supplements I highly recommend to help with sleep are magnesium, magnesium citrate, or magnesium glycinate – it helps me fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer and reduce the number of times I wake up during the night”. Dr Roked also points to ashwagandha, which is an adaptogen that helps the body adapt better to stress and regulate stress hormones, helping you feel calmer.
